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More news articles New York Marathon bans pacemakers
Big Apple event makes brave stance in effort to showcase its star athletes and encourage more exciting action
PACEMAKERS have become so widespread in recent years, frontrunning has almost become a lost art in elite level distance running.
So it was a welcome move this week to see the ING New York Marathon make a bold anti-pacemaking statement. In short, the race is not going to encourage pacemakers at its next event in November this year.
The sport has always enjoyed a love/hate relationship with pacemakers. Roger Bannister’s historic four-minute mile – which took place 53 years ago this week – would not have happened without them.
During the Eighties, the golden period of middle-distance running the top athletes such as Seb Coe and Steve Ovett had their favourite pacemakers and one such ‘rabbit’ as they are often called, an American called Tom Byers, once hung on to win a big mile race against a field that included Ovett himself.
Modern day domestic meetings such as British Milers' Club events thrive off good pacemaking too, enabling ambitious young athletes the chance to improve their personal best times.
But things have got out of hand lately on the international circuit. Grand prix middle-distance and long distance events always feature pacemakers – which results in a dull event where tactics and luck are taken out of the equation. Some athletes, such as Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, have even used a fellow athlete as an unofficial pacemaker in a major championship final.
Mary Wittenberg, race director of the ING New York City Marathon, said on May 3: “I am happy to announce, on behalf of New York Road Runners, a race management decision that we think will help us build our great athletes and our sport. Later this year at the ING New York City Marathon, we will be conducting the race without pacesetters.
“In line with the championship-style race that we are, we think it is best for our athletes, best for our viewing audiences and best for our sport as it is in New York to move to 26.2 miles of suspense rather than what has been a more structured race with pacesetters carrying our athletes to the 25km mark.
“We think that our sport and our marathon are full of the best athletes in the world. These athletes deserve center stage. Most of them know how to be strategic, most of them know how to pursue the thrill of victory and make that the number-one priority. Giving our athletes the free reign to do that, no question puts a little more pressure on them, but they will live up to the challenge. In the end, it will be better for everyone to tune in and care from mile one rather than from mile 16.”
Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, who will run this year’s event, added: “I’ve been involved in many pace races, and you are bound to the pacemaker. Whether you like it or not, you are sitting there waiting. You can’t feel like you can run at will, or you feel like you’re spoiling the race. Whether it’s 10 miles or whatever, you feel guilty. You can’t do that or you’re going to look like a spoiler.”
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